Battery powered portable computers, sometimes known as “notebook” or “laptop” computers, are usually designed to be substantially self-contained, so that they can be used wherever they and their user happen to be. However, in some instances a user may wish to attach external devices to the portable computer. For example, the portable computer may be connected to any or all of a CRT monitor, a mouse, a 104-key keyboard, a network adapter, and a power supply.
To make it easier to attach and remove these external devices, a “docking station” or “port replicator” may be provided. The external devices and the portable computer can be separately connected to and removed from the docking station. The docking station typically has one or more latches to hold the computer in position, and one or more connectors that, when the computer is latched in place, mate with a corresponding connector in the computer to provide connection paths through the docking station to the external devices.